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"Reading, travelling, films." Those three words sit on countless CVs and tell you almost nothing about the person who wrote them. Yet hobbies on a CV aren't automatically pointless. Chosen well, they add proof, a glimpse of character or an easy topic for the interview. Chosen badly, they take up space and can work against you.
Here is how to decide whether to include them, what to say and where they go.
Do you have to put hobbies on a CV?
No. An interests section isn't a formal requirement in the UK, Ireland, Canada, the US or Australia, though habits vary by field and employer. It's optional, and like every other section it has to earn its place.
A recruiter usually spends very little time on a first read. They look for your experience, your skills and your education first. Hobbies rarely decide an application on their own, but they can tip the balance between two similar candidates, or reassure a recruiter when your work history is still short.
A note on vocabulary: in the UK and Ireland, "CV" is the norm and "Interests" or "Hobbies and interests" is the usual heading. In the US and often in Canada, you would write a "resume", where an interests section is less common and tends to appear only for early-career applicants. The country differences are covered in our guide to CV or resume.
So skip the question "is it expected?" and ask this instead: does this line tell the employer something useful about me? If it does, keep it. If it only fills white space, delete it.
When hobbies genuinely add value
Three situations justify a mention most of the time.
They show a transferable skill
An activity that involves organisation, consistency or teamwork says something your job history may not yet show. Coaching an under-12s football team means leadership and patience. Running a technical blog for two years means writing discipline. Training for a half marathon means persistence.
This matters most when you're early in your career. A CV with no experience can gain a lot from concrete activities outside work or study.
They hint at fit with the organisation
Volunteering at a food bank, running a community group or organising a local charity event shows what you care about. For a non-profit, a social enterprise or a close-knit start-up, that can carry more weight than one more technical keyword.
They give the interviewer an easy opening
Many interviewers like to begin with something relaxed. "Film photography, home darkroom" starts a far more natural conversation than "Cinema". You turn a question-and-answer session into an exchange, which makes you easier to remember.
When it's better to leave them out
Sometimes deleting the section is the smartest edit.
- Your CV already runs past its page limit. A hobby line never justifies shrinking the font or cutting a job.
- You have a long, highly relevant career. With ten solid years behind you, achievements speak louder than interests. See our piece on the skills employers look for.
- You have nothing specific to say. A list of generalities is worse than no list.
- The activity could be read the wrong way. Strong political or religious views, for example, are better kept off the page unless the role is directly connected to them.
A CV without hobbies is not incomplete. A clean, dense page beats a padded one.
What to include: the three-question test
For each hobby you're considering, ask three quick questions.
- Is it true, and do I do it regularly? You should be able to talk about it for five minutes without hesitating.
- What does it say about me? Independence, teamwork, curiosity, stamina, creativity, a service mindset.
- Is it specific? "Indoor climbing, twice a week" can be checked. "Sport" can't.
A hobby that passes two of the three earns a line.
Categories that usually work
- Team or endurance sport: netball, rowing, trail running, swimming. They suggest collaboration or persistence.
- Making things: photography, music, writing, drawing, woodwork. They show initiative.
- Community involvement: volunteering, mentoring, a local committee. They point to a service mindset.
- Curiosity and side projects: building a small app, a podcast, growing vegetables, learning a language. They signal a drive to learn.
- Travel, but only with a detail: "Independent travel through 12 countries" says more than "Travel".
Good and weak examples
The difference almost always comes down to precision. Compare:
| Weak version | Stronger version |
|---|---|
| Sport | Club football, captain of the under-19 side |
| Reading | Nordic crime fiction, runs a monthly book club |
| Music | Guitar, three years in a band, gigs at local pubs |
| Travel | Backpacking in 8 countries, planned every trip myself |
| Films | University film society, selected and introduced screenings |
| Computers | Builds and repairs PCs for friends and family |
The stronger versions are still short. They add a fact (a role, a duration, a frequency), not a paragraph.
What to avoid
- Passive, generic pastimes: "watching TV", "browsing the internet", "socialising". They're a given.
- Exaggeration. Writing "scuba diving, advanced" after one taster session is a reliable way to get stuck mid-interview.
- Risky activities with no link to the job, which could worry an employer for no good reason.
- Endless lists of eight or ten items. Nobody remembers them.
- Stock phrases such as "passionate about travel and meeting new people".
How many lines, and where do they go?
One to three lines is enough. Two or three hobbies, each with a detail, make a balanced block. Beyond that, you start crowding out sections that matter more.
Place the section at the bottom of the CV, after experience, education, skills and languages. It should never sit above something more important. If space runs out, this is the first thing to go.
There's one exception. If a hobby directly supports the role (a food blog for a content-writing job, say), mention it in your personal statement or a "Projects" section, where it's far more visible than a last line on the page.
As for the heading, "Interests" and "Hobbies" are both understood. Pick one and stay consistent. If you're unsure how everything fits together, our guide to writing a CV in 2026 sets out a structure that works.
An example in a real CV
Here is a realistic excerpt for someone applying for a communications officer role:
Interests Street photography: group exhibition in a local café, 2025 Running: training for the Manchester Half Marathon, three runs a week Volunteering: runs monthly writing workshops for teenagers, two hours a month
In three lines you can read creativity, discipline and a commitment to others, and each line gives the interviewer something to ask about. None runs beyond one line and none is vague.
Another case, for a technical profile:
Projects and interests Built an open-source budgeting tool (120 stars on GitHub) Club basketball, former captain, two training sessions a week
Here the first item is closer to experience than to a hobby. In that case it belongs in a "Projects" section rather than among the interests.
Tailor your hobbies to the job
Like the rest of your CV, this section can be adjusted. You don't need to rewrite it each time: choose, among your real activities, those that best answer the posting.
- A posting that stresses teamwork: lead with the team sport or group volunteering.
- A creative role: photography, writing or personal design work come first.
- A highly autonomous or remote job: a project you run alone, such as learning a language or building a personal site, illustrates self-organisation well.
We walk through this logic in tailoring your CV to a job posting. In the CV builder you can also keep several versions of the section and pick the one that fits.
Final checklist before you send
- The section is three lines at most.
- Each hobby includes a concrete detail (role, frequency, result).
- I can talk about each one in an interview without preparing.
- Nothing contradicts the rest of my CV.
- It sits at the bottom and doesn't push the CV onto a second page.
- I haven't written anything false or inflated.
- It fits the role I'm applying for.
If the page is already full, remove the section without regret. To catch other common traps, read about the CV mistakes that cost interviews. You can also compare layouts among the CV templates; some include a dedicated interests area and some don't.
Frequently asked questions
Should I include hobbies on a CV if I have a lot of experience?
Not necessarily. With a long, relevant career, your achievements already fill the useful space. Keep a line only if it adds an angle the rest doesn't show, such as community work or a personal project tied to the role.
Should the heading say "Hobbies" or "Interests"?
Both are understood by recruiters. "Interests" sounds slightly more professional, while "Hobbies" is plainer. What matters is staying consistent with the rest of the CV and being specific in the content.
Can I mention a hobby I only do occasionally?
It's better to avoid it. If the interviewer asks follow-up questions, you need to answer naturally. List what you really do, even modestly, and word it honestly: "started bouldering six months ago" is perfectly fine.
Can hobbies replace work experience?
No, but they can support it. For a first job, volunteering, a personal project or a role in a club shows real skills. Pair them with internships, summer jobs or course projects to build a credible whole.
Where should hobbies go on a one-page CV?
At the bottom, after skills and languages. If the CV is tight, it's the first section to shorten or drop. One well-chosen line beats three lines that force you to shrink the text.
